BOON DESIGN：The brief from the client is a Chiangmai hotel that has local crossroads Lanna-Thai culture linkage in terms of architecture and its ambiance, The owner was emphasized on the concept of sustainable local culture as a heritage. In order to design an architecture as such, we use the former local settlement as a design exemplar, especially, in term of interior and transition space, such as Northern-Thai styles verandah together with the Northern-Thai vernacular architecture language to bring back our misty recall memory of the past.

The hotel was required to accomodate a sufficient space for 39 rooms because of the constraint we then needed to build a 3- storeys building. To be admitted that 3- storeys hotel building is not in the same language as the traditional vernacular settlement. So, we tried to blur the modern concrete building into the vernacular vocab by using the functional transition space or verandah and cover it with a traditional terracotta roof, which the roof cover most part of the building and provide just enough space not to blocking the vistas from inside the hotel room, together with two ways access to the building from both sides, in front and the back, to bring back the 2- storeys vernacular sense of scale.

Upon arrival through the driveway, one will pass through the terracotta roof with -wooden post foyer to the lobby with the center arrival court to enhance the riverside experience. Here, the public quarter accommodates front office and the double height space river view restaurant with compressed space blackened hue bar for the deeper experience of drinking at the opposite. Guests can make their route to the riverbank then walk back upstairs along with the corridor past the central court to their rooms which are at the second floor and third floor while able to enjoy the river scene at different points of view which a promenade architecture can offer.

All ensuite room adopted the view-oriented open living space plan with a traditional Thai dropped floor verandah to enhance the natural sense of living. The whitewash color is used to reflect the misty memory of the past on everything from wall to ceiling to furniture. Each floor has its identical treatment such as the third floor has a pitched ceiling interior space to reflect its architecture and enlightened “White on White scheme”. The second floor is an in-between space that offers a sense of mysterious represented in a touch of black added to the whitewashed ambiance.The ground floor pool villa has an extra height ceiling to balance the sense under the massive mass above and exploited indigo colour reflecting the river.